Railroad-tie spacer.



J. W. WOOD.

' 'RAILROAD TIE SPACER.

APPLIOATION FILED 11.13.14. 1911.

Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

ni'rdnwns verse notches 10 in one edge of the spacer JASPER WILLIAMWOOD, OF NEEDLES, CALIFORNIA.

RAILROAD-TIE SPACER.

Specification of; Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

Application filed March 14, 1911. Serial No. 614,312.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JASPER VVILLIAM 001), a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Needles, in the county of San Bernardino andState of California, have invented a new and Improved Railroad-TieSpacer, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention is a spacer for railroad ties, and it comprises a devicewhich can be readily placed in position to grip the top of a rail, andwhich acts as a fulcrum for the spacing bar which is used to force theties into proper position.

' Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which the same characters of ref- I one of theopenings 8 until one of the notches rests against the rear of one ofthese erence indicate the same parts in all the views.

Figure 1 1s a top plan of my improved tie spacer in the position whichit occupies when in use; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of thetie spacer; and Fig. 3 is an end elevation thereof, showing the mannerin which the tie rests upon the rail, the latter being shown incross-section.

My tie spacer comprises an elongated base 1 having supports 1, whichhold the base 1 spaced a certain distance above the tops of the tieswhich are to be moved. From one side of this base 1 projects a lateralarm 2, this arm being curved upward near its outer end to form agripping attachment 3, which fits the top or ball of the railto hold thetie spacer firmly in operative position. This gripping attachment has adiagonal groove 4 in the under side thereof, the sides of this groovebeing provided with longitudinal flanges 5. Above the flanges 5 arearranged teeth 6, which grip the sides of the top or ball of the railand prevent the spacer from sliding thereon. A brace bar 7 connects theouter end of the arm 2 with the opposite end of the base 1.

The base 1 is provided with a series of longitudinally-arranged openings8, the rear edges of these openings being rounded off, as shown at 8, tofit corresponding transbar 9. The rail'is shown at 11; and the ties onwhich the spacer is to be used are indicated by the numeral 12. Thefront edges of the openings 8 have upstanding lugs 8,.

To utilize thespacer, the gripping attachment 3 is fitted over the topor ball of the rail, and on account of the large groove 4 therein itwill serve for rails of almost any size or weight. This groove 4,together with the brace bar 7, will of course be held parallel to therail when the spacer is put on, and after the flanges 5 pass below thetop or ball of the rail 11, the outer end of the base 1 is moved awayfrom the rail until the base 1 and the rail 11 are parallel with respect to each other. The ends of the flanges 5 will thus pass under thelower sides of the ball of the rail and prevent the gripping attachment3 from getting displaced. In this position, the teeth 6 will also gripthe sides of the ball of the rail and keep the spacer from sliding whenit is subjected to end thrust, due to the brace-bar 9.

To move a tie, the bar 9 is passed through openings. The bar is thusfulcrumed in the base 1, and by pulling on the upper end of the bar, thelower end of the bar will force f the tie forward to the requiredextent.

The supports 1 may be omitted if desired,

:0 allow the spacer to rest directly on the les.

In order to move the spacer along the rail from one tie to another, theend of the bar is simply thrust into the ground, and the upper end movedforward. This causes the bar to engage against the front edges of thelugs 8,, and pull the spacer along, the front end of the base 1 being ofcourse swung toward the rail to a slight extent in order to release theteeth 6.

This spacer is especially useful on railroad track work to space tiesthat are moved out of their true position on account of the contract-ionof the steel rails, and other causes.

Obviously, I may make certain changes in the shape and size of theparts, which fairly fall within the scope and nature of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A spacer for railroad ties, comprising a base, and means attached tosaid base for securing the same to a rail, and a spacer bar for engagingthe ties and shifting the same, said base having means for givingfulcrum engagement to the spacer bar.

2. A spacer for railroad ties, comprising a base, and an arm projectingfrom one side of said base, having means at its outer end diagonalgroove in the lower side of said arm adjacent its outer end, to engage arail,

and means on the sides of said groove for gripping the rail andpreventing the same from sliding, said base having means for givingfulcrum engagement to a spacer bar.

4:. A spacer for railroad ties, comprising a base, an arm projectinglaterally therefrom, said arm having a diagonal groove in its under sideadjacent the outer end thereof, to engage a railand prevent the spacerfrom sliding on the said rail, and a pair of flanges along the edges ofthe groove, said flanges engaging the under side of the top or ball ofthe rail, said base having means for giving fulcrum engagement to-aspacer bar.

5. A spacer for railroad ties, comprising a base, an arm projectinglaterally from said base, said arm having a diagonal groove in its underside adjacent its outer end, said groove having teeth to grip the sidesof the rail to prevent the tie spacer from sliding 3 thereon, and havinglongitudinal flanges along its edges to pass beneath the top or 1 'ballof the rail and prevent displacement of the spacer, and a brace barconnecting said arm and said base, said base having one or morelongitudinally-arranged holes passing therethrough to give fulcrumengagement to a spacer bar.

6. A spacer for railroad ties, comprising a base, and an arm projectingfrom one side of the base, said arm having means at its outer end forgripping a rail, and preventing the base from sliding with respect tosaid rail, said base having a plurality of longitudinally-arrangedopenings therethrough, the rear edges of said openings giving fulcrumengagement to the spacer bar in order to move the tie, and the forwardedges of said openings having upstanding lugs to give fulcrum engagementto the spacer bar, in order to move the spacer along the track, from oneworking position to another.

7. In a spacer for railroad ties, the combination of a base having meansfor attachment to a raiLand a space bar to have fulcrum engagement withsaid base and with a tie at its end, to move the ties supporting therail ov means of the leverage afforded by such engagement.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JASPER WILLIAM WOOD.

Witnesses:

WV. H. WELLMAN, L. H. CLARK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

